CRH plc (NYSE:CRH) Stake Reduced by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Squarepoint Ops LLC trimmed its stake in CRH plc (NYSE:CRH - Free Report) by 19.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 125,442 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 30,408 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in CRH were worth $11,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CRH. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in CRH by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,335 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of CRH by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 971 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of CRH by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,570 shares of the construction company's stock worth $8,102,000 after buying an additional 17,731 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in CRH by 404.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 422,413 shares of the construction company's stock worth $39,082,000 after buying an additional 338,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in CRH by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 53,356 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,937,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CRH shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of CRH in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Berenberg Bank set a $120.00 target price on CRH in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on CRH from $118.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRH in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $112.58.

CRH Trading Up 0.0%

CRH opened at $95.11 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $91.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.35. CRH plc has a 1 year low of $71.18 and a 1 year high of $110.97. The stock has a market cap of $64.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.33.

CRH (NYSE:CRH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The construction company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.77 billion. CRH had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 16.35%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CRH plc will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRH Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. CRH's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.52%.

About CRH

CRH plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides building materials solutions in Ireland and internationally. It operates through four segments: Americas Materials Solutions, Americas Building Solutions, Europe Materials Solutions, and Europe Building Solutions. The company provides solutions for the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure and commercial and residential buildings; and produces and sells aggregates, cement, readymixed concrete, and asphalt, as well as provides paving and construction services.

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